Saturday, September 26, 2009

Meanwhile, back in Honduras, deposed president Marvelous Mel Zelaya remains hunkered down in the Brazilian embassy, some measure of calm seems to be returning to the capital, and the two sides can't even agree on what to talk about if they ever do talk.

Basically, the current regime is about 65% of the way to successfully filibustering its way to the new elections.

Living in the embassy under tough conditions seems to be taking its toll on Mel as he is claiming that "Israeli mercenaries" are attacking him with radiation and toxic gasses!

Given earlier reports that Mel's crew was subsisting on rice and beans and had no AC or running water, I think those toxic gasses might not have been Israeli in origin.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

"I don't know why Obama said all economists agree on [the need for a stimulus bill]. They don't. If you go down to the third-tier schools, yes, but they're not the people advancing the science..."

Now this is pretty funny. I guess Ed said "third-tier" strategically to get the idea of "places below him" across, but heck, I'll just put it out there, ASU is a "third-tier school" in Economics unless tiers are amazingly thick (and yes that probably makes OU a 4th tier one).

Plus, there are obviously a lot of economists at better schools than ASU who endorsed the stimulus. For example, is Princeton worse than ASU?

To modify an old expression, people who live below the Penthouse shouldn't throw stones!

And, no I was not in favor of a stimulus, which is amazing given what a low-tier, no advancing of the science job I have!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

So, I'm 51 today. Hard to believe. Now I have been in a bad mood for 51 years.

Also, I'm a bit sad. I have meant to blog about this Danish tourism ad: Okay, now of course, that is an actress. They are advertising that if young American come to Denmark they can get...well, you know what they can get.

The sad part? I watched that commercial intently, several times. And I have clearly passed some kind of age threshold, because I have zero interest in the pretty blonde girl. I just want to hold that cute baby. That is a GREAT baby. If I go to Denmark, can I hold that little baby? If so, I may go.

"German naturists will soon have their own 18-km (11-mile) long trail for hiking in the nude and some enthusiasts have been trying it out before the official opening next May.

Heinz Ludwig, who runs a nearby campsite, has led the project to create the nudist trail that meanders up and down the Harz mountain range in central Germany, overcoming some local protests by pointing out its potential boost for tourism.

"I think it's a great way to promote tourism here," Ludwig told Reuters on Tuesday after Bild newspaper published a picture of two women wearing nothing but rucksacks on the trail. "There's already been a lot of interest in it."

The trail runs between the village of Dankerode and the Wippertal dam. Naturism fans have been monitoring progress of the trail in Internet chatrooms for months and a band of naked hikers took a test walk on the not-quite-finished trail in May.

The trail is being marked with special signs warning the uninitiated that they could encounter nude hikers.

"If you don't want to see people with nothing on then you should refrain from moving on!," reads one warning sign."

When the guy says it will promote tourism, does he mean voyeuristic tourism, or that throngs of nudists will come hiking there?

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

"Pujols, 29, and Musial, 88, are close. They were seen laughing and chatting at Busch Stadium in the days leading to the MLB All-Star Game this summer in St. Louis. They’ve talked strike zones, bat weights, salaries and golf. They’ve talked ball.

Pujols’ friends say he admires Musial’s skill, of course, and is amazed by Musial’s longevity. In 22 seasons, Musial played in 24 All-Star Games. He took his first big-league at-bat as a 20-year-old in 1941, and hit until he was 42 in 1963."

Yes friends, you read that right. 24 All Star Games in 22 seasons. Wow! He was GOOD!!

Now, I have to ask, did they used to play more than one all star game per season? Or is this just another example of the MSM getting it wrong?

NW: You often criticize the privatization process. But thanks to the sale of state companies even the poorest Brazilians have cell phones, and former public companies like Vale have become world-beaters under private ownership.

Lula: But the state could have done the same things.

NW: Except that it didn't.

Lula: It didn't because the Brazilian elite used public companies for their own ends. When you do that , any company will go broke, anywhere in the world. I think the privatizations were a mistake.

And then it gets even better:

NW: The Mercosul trading bloc, which Brazil leads, only allows full democracies that respect human rights as members. Does Venezuela qualify?

Lula: Give me one example of how Venezuela is undemocratic.

NW: Thirty-four radio stations closed by the government in one weekend. Repression of independent trade unions and government persecution of political rivals. Gangs linked to the government of Hugo Chávez vandalizing the only independent television broadcaster.

Lula: That's not the government's version.

NW: Is there any doubt?

Lula: Let's be frank on one thing. First, each country establishes the democratic regime that suits its people. It's a sovereign decision of every nation.

The rules allow three incorrect challenges per player per set. In a best-of-five-sets match (which is normal for men), that means at least 18 available challenges per match, none of which carry over from set to set.In other words, use ’em or lose ’em. A player can get an additional challenge if the match goes into a tiebreaker, or if a fifth set goes overtime.

Best of 5 matches are played at the 4 major championships and in Davis Cup ties, meaning that they are an aberration, not the norm.

Second, he does not seem to know what the word substantial means:

And the rewards for challengers can be substantial. For example, the No. 10 seed at the Open, Fernando Verdasco of Spain, averaged 0.4 challenges per set and had a sparkling 43 percent success rate. If he challenged once per set, like Federer, and his challenge success rate fell to a similar 30 percent, it could mean one more point to him in a three-set match. If his success rate didn’t fall as much, however, and he challenged twice per set it might mean as many as three more points in a five-set match. Either way, it could be the difference between winning and losing.

Third, he seems to think that winning a challenge gives you the point (see the above quote). It does sometimes, but often winning a challenge just causes the point to be replayed.

Fourth and most importantly, he seems to forget that the status quo is neither player challenging much. If they both increased their challenges and were equally good at it, then there would be exactly zero net advantage to either player. In other words, in *equilibrium* challenging more cannot be a competitive advantage (not even a tiny one like what he cites in the quote above).

On this trip to the beach, I tried three varieties of American weissbier.

The tale o' the tape:

Surprisingly good, in fact excellent: Sierra Nevada "Kellerweis" Hefeweizen. Much, much better than I expected. Looks and tastes just like wiessbier, in fact. Well done. My new favorite, #1 American beer.

Surprisingly good, because it is not horrible: Michelob Dunkel Weiss. Again, much, much better than I expected. Not actually great, just better than I expected. If you are stuck, this beer will in some ways remind you of a real dunkel. For an An-Busch product, outstanding, though.

Surprisingly bad, bordering on terrible: Sam Adams Weiss. Awful. Appalling. Why did they even try? Tastes like a generic beer, no head, clear amber appearance. Supposedly "retired" (i.e., discontinued to end the sucking), but still available.